This year will mark Erika Goodwin’s 20th season coaching cheerleading at the University of South Carolina. In those twenty years, USC’s cheerleading team has achieved 17 top-ten finishes at the National Cheerleaders Association’s Collegiate National Championships, 4th place in Large Co-Ed Division 1A, and 2nd place for the All-Girl team in Advanced Division 1A.
Goodwin moved to Lexington with her husband, Justin, in 2007. She is a USC alumna, majoring in exercise science and motor development, and started her coaching career with the university in 2004. Goodwin is currently USC’s Head Cheerleading Coach and Spirit Coordinator, which includes scheduling appearances for Cocky and handling travel arrangements for the football and basketball teams.
“I wear many hats and I love each of them. The part I love the most is working with the students, coaching their cheerleading skills, and being a mentor,” Goodwin said, “This is an important time of their lives … where they are learning who they are and who they are going to be – so I take the mentorship role seriously.”
Cheerleading is a demanding sport, incorporating gymnastics, tumbling, and physical endurance. “We have a coed team, and we’ll have males that come from other sports in high school. They will be the first to tell you that cheerleading is much more difficult than they ever thought. It is very vigorous on the body. With all the gymnastic skills that are in cheerleading now it takes a high-level athlete to be able to compete,” Goodwin said.
Students on USC’s cheerleading team serve as ambassadors for the university while also earning their degrees. “They are very hard-working students. They’re often the first face our fans see when they come to different events and appearances,” Goodwin said. “It seems so effortless when they’re on the sidelines … but they work very hard from August to April. There is no off season for them because we cover all the sports throughout the fall and into spring. I’m so proud of their professionalism and their dedication,” she shares.
Cheerleading has been a part of Goodwin’s life for as long as she can remember. She cheered at Brookland-Cayce High School and at the University of South Carolina where she was the captain her senior year. She attended graduate school at the University of Louisville and in addition to cheering, she also coached.
Goodwin and her husband have three children, one of whom is a current student at USC. “We enjoy raising our family in Lexington. We have two boys and a girl – Logan, Dillon, and Addisyn. Our family loves it when we get a chance to be together in the evenings and have dinner, just spending time together.” A favorite family dinner is hibachi, made by Goodwin’s husband. “My husband is a wonderful cook. He loves to cook and grill, and he can make the best hibachi. I’ve tried to get him to open a restaurant for years,” said Goodwin.
Looking back over her career, Goodwin says, “My biggest takeaway at this point in my career is building up the program to where it is and sustaining it. There are not a lot of Division One A coed teams that stay competitive year after year, and I am proud of that.”